


we'll keep it moving (until we make it to the other side)

by vertigo



Series: boy you got it bad (but I got something good) [3]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: A Pinch of Angst, Kevin not so secret history nerd, Loss of Faith, M/M, Religion, Secret Relationship, Wholesome Twinyards, rape mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:08:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26183968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertigo/pseuds/vertigo
Summary: "Oh my God!" Nicky screams some time later. "You two are having a bromance!" He squeals, pushing his head again between the front seats, only to be pushed back by Kevin complaining about him ending with his head on the asphalt if Aaron crashes.
Relationships: Kevin Day/Aaron Minyard, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Series: boy you got it bad (but I got something good) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1795888
Comments: 42
Kudos: 236





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello I'm back again, not totally happy with this chapter but, I'm just gonna yeet it here and let you decide. I'd like to thank, as usual, to my wonderful amazing beta [Jenn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowObsidian/) for her incredible patience and care for this fic! all the remaining mistakes are mine.
> 
> this chapter features discussions about complicated relationships towards faith, so be warned.

The game went fine, better than he actually expected it to go, honestly. It seems like what he and Andrew did helped turn on a lightbulb in their favorite strikers' heads and they were back to their usual immature jock banter, grunting behind mouthguards and excellent points. The Foxes are moving to the Spring Championship and Kevin is…. well, he's back to being his usual asshole self.

Which is way better than his desperate self, honestly. And that makes Aaron a little more content; he'd rather hear all about sloppy footwork and lack of trying than stew in the pregnant silence of Kevin’s insecurities. He would be even more content if it wasn't for the Foxes crashing their getaway. Aaron had plans for a post-workout ice cream and christening the Range Rover afterwards.

He was looking forward to time alone, just the two of them in the car on the road, listening to their favorite songs and discussing ways to distract the rest of the team so they could disappear for a bit. Alas, life has never been _that_ good to Aaron Michael Minyard; his cousin had to say he would ride with them. It makes sense of course: Matt's truck is packed with the girls and the Maserati doesn't have as much leg room as the Range Rover. Ergo, Nicky’s stuck in the back, alternating between kicking into the back of his seat and sighing audibly.

He tries to ignore it, put one third of his attention into the microbiology book on his lap, another third into how careful Kevin is when driving and the last third in listening to Edith Piaf (Kevin's favorite way to cool down after a match), but after a particularly hard shove he has to stop and reach back to slap Nicky's leg.

"Did you manage to talk to Abby about what happened to Neil?" Kevin asks, stopping at a red light and checking in the rearview mirror to see if the other two Foxes' rides are near them.

Aaron gives a noncommittal grunt while his fingers are busy highlighting a sentence that sounds particularly hard. "Cramps." Neil had left the court limping in the final minutes after their point gap was satisfying and he hadn't missed the looks Kevin kept sending the other striker’s way. "I checked him, it looks like it was his soleus," he chews on the end of the pen, feeling the car lurch gently back into first gear. 

"Know why?"

"I think he's not stretching properly before his runs, so it feels a bit inflamed… Tomorrow I'll do some malleability exercises Jeremy recommended and see how it goes… I mean," Aaron taps the pen against his book, thinking about the feel of Josten's cramped leg in his hands and the hiss of discomfort he let out when he pressed a sore spot. "It's not that bad and it will be better if he abstains from running for a week. I know Josten's all speed and he loves running, but if he sticks a bit to the elliptical machine and bicycle during training he'll be fine. Have you seen how green his calf looks?" Kevin shakes his head no, still engrossed in the bumper to bumper traffic of Columbia. "It’s a textbook overwork lesion. He'll be okay if he just remembers stretching."

"Did Abby give him something?"

"Just your regular painkillers and recommended icing. I wouldn't be too worried, she gave the instructions when Andrew was around." Kevin nods once more, flexing his left hand on the wheel with a tiny grimace. Aaron closes his book, analyzing the way his… _boyfriend_ … flexes his hand. Josten is not the only one in this team who ignores their own pain; Kevin is just a bit more transparent about his aches. It also helps that Kevin knows not to hide anything from Aaron. "You know you shouldn't be driving after playing with your left hand tonight. Where's your brace?"

Kevin is about to answer him when their soft french music stops, then it's promptly replaced by Lady Gaga. 

"NICHOLAS!"

" _I’m sorry_ ," Nicky whines from the backseat, putting his head dramatically between the seats. Kevin shoves him back, telling him to buckle his seatbelt unless he wants to die if something happens and they can't afford to be one (arguably bad) backliner short. The car swerves a bit to the right before Kevin gets both hands back on the wheel. "You two are listening to the saddest most boring songs in the world while having the straightest sports conversation I've ever heard! Can't a gay have some happiness?"

"How can you say that _Non, je ne regrette rien_ is the saddest song in the world?" Kevin chimes from his seat, his anger being channeled into an uncharacteristic road rage as he honks at an idiot turning left without signaling first. "She's literally singing her love!"

"Kevin," Nicky is cooing in the background, staring at the striker through the rearview mirror, knowing full well he will be shoved again if he tries to stick his body between the seats. "Edith Piaf was raised by prostitutes and died because her life was so shitty she had to pump herself full of drugs."

Aaron holds back a snort, but Kevin is fuming by his side and he can't do anything except watch how this will all play out. "I'll pull over and drop you with Andrew and Neil, do you want that?"

"Nooooooooooo, Andrew is in a bad mood because his honey bear got a solar booboo."

"Soleus." Aaron corrects him, praying for the nearest gas station to come so he can stop this useless banter. Nicky doesn't know he's playing with fire by insulting Kevin's musical taste and he doesn't have a death wish to let Kevin keep on driving like an angry middle-aged man. "Pull over next time you can Kevin, I'm driving. I've dealt with Nicholas long enough to know he'll drive you mad and you'll kill us all with your road rage.” He turns to face his cousin. 

“Nicky," The man in question perks up, the sound of his phone clacking against the leather seats announces that he's probably complaining all about their trip on the Foxes chat. Aaron had a slightest suspicion his cousin was badmouthing his ride since his own phone had to be muted after so many notifications. "You can listen to your trash for another half an hour. Then Kevin will listen to his music for one hour because I'm forfeiting my right to listen to what I want."

"But it's my car and I'm okay to drive, Aaron!" Kevin whines, but nonetheless he signals for the oncoming gas station and stops by the tiny convenience store.

"And I'm the only grown up in here, it seems. Let me drive and rest your hand if you still wanna train tomorrow, or I'll bench you with Neil." When they stop the Maserati catches up to them quickly. Andrew was hot on their heels and he rolls down a window when the cars are parallel to each other. His twin has one elbow against the open window and stares at Kevin as if he could see something wrong. Old habits are hard to shake, it seems. Aaron stops by the Maserati's window on his way to the driver's seat, pointing with his head to a sleeping Neil. Andrew shakes his head, assuring him that there's nothing wrong, then nods towards Kevin, who's already slamming the door on the passenger side hard enough to shake the car. "Nicky hijacked the radio and insulted Edith Piaf." Andrew scoffs, finishing their conversation by rolling up the window on Aaron's face.

Aaron finally gets in the driver's seat and goes through the motions of making the car tiny people friendly before he takes off again, a bit more aggressive than Kevin was driving before. "Put on your brace, you clearly went overboard with your hand." He says, watching Kevin grumble but still reaching out for his brace in the glove compartment. 

"Oh my God!" Nicky screams some time later. "You two are having a bromance!" He squeals, pushing his head again between the front seats, only to be pushed back by Kevin complaining about him ending with his head on the asphalt if Aaron crashes.

"A _what_?" Aaron asks. Maybe he misheard it. Maybe Kevin and him are less subtle than they think with their mysterious disappearances and matching bruises on their necks. His mind is already going a million miles per hour, trying to think when they gave it away and who else might know about them.

"A bromance. Like, Erik had these two friends who were practically married but without the kissing and the sex… I mean you two stare at each other the same way Klaus and Evan used to… Like bro I love you, no homo. Bro you're my sun but we're still sitting five feet apart because we're not gay. Bro you're like…" He takes a deep breath, swooning on his seat. "You're like the Patroclus to my Achilles."

"But Patroclus and Achilles were most likely a couple."

Nicky goes completely silent, his eyes growing huge as stares at Kevin and Aaron wants to slap his mouth shut because if he knows his cousin that well, his lizard brain is already preparing something dumb to say in response. Instead, he turns down the volume and braces himself for the long rant Kevin is about to spout, judging by the way he's puffing up and squaring his shoulders. "I always thought you'd be one of those people who denies homosexuality, Kevin," Nicky says before Kevin can speak again. The striker only shakes his braced hand in a dismissive gesture.

"There's no point in dismissing it. Unfortunately history has been studied and recorded for centuries by old men with this white heterosexual catholic view of homosexuality as a sin, therefore condemnable and to be hidden. Same as bisexuality. Alexander the Great was bisexual, for example, and there are many relationships we cannot comprehend simply because we have so many Christian values infused in our society and way of thinking that, seeing a relationship like the ones the Greeks used to have, it's hard for us to grasp." Kevin turns around, looking at a speechless Nicholas Hemmick. "It's a moot point to study ancient relationships while attributing modern values. The fact stands that homosexuality was common at that time, several historical figures were in homosexual and bisexual relationships and there's nothing to condemn, except for the erasure of the facts because our society deems anything other than the standard heterosexual relationship acceptable when it comes to figures of power. "

Aaron grips the wheel harder. Whenever Kevin opens his mouth to be smart Aaron has something that can only be defined as an intellectual boner in response.

He can see through the rearview mirror that Nicky is opening and closing his mouth like a fish looking for air on the surface and finding it lacking. He tries to say something, but it comes out as a garbled mumble, reaches out for his bottle of water and takes a long gulp before being able to voice what is going through his head. "What?" is all he manages to say, his eyebrows gone so high on his forehead they might be touching his flawless curls.

Kevin waves his hand again, his nose turned in disgust as he stares at Nicky the same way he would stare at someone who says that Exy is nothing more than a savage version of Lacrosse. "Honestly, I'm surprised, Nicky. You should know better than anyone else that a lot the views towards same sex relationships in our society comes from a biblical passage that someone decided to drill over and over again…. Which was… Hmmm, I can't remember the exact number, I don't know the bible that well."

"Leviticus 18:22," Aaron supplies, feeling the bitter aftertaste on his mouth. Even without closing his eyes, he remembers dressing in his Sunday best to hide the purplish bruises while his mother on his side nodded enthusiastically at every sermon as if they weren't both high as kites. The verse echoes in his head, as well as the ghost of Luther's black eyes searching for Nicky among the crowd, too aware of how his favorite verse was twisting a knife in his only son's heart. Aaron shakes his head, trying to dispel the hauntings of his childhood before he loses track of the road.

"Exactly… I think… Anyways," Kevin continues his tirade, stopping only to take a swig from his own water bottle. "This view has been a plague to whoever wants to study that. I mean, you have to take off the rose colored glasses of a whole society and stare at homosexuality as a fact. It existed in ancient societies and it was viewed in a different way than it is today. We have to see the facts for what they are, not some idiotic 'this is a sin' view."

Nicky is gaping on the backseat, watching Kevin talk with far too much interest, as if he's for the first time in his life he is seeing the striker for who he is. "Okay I know you came out as a bisexual to us some time ago but… Don’t _you_ believe homosexuality is a sin?" He leans his head to one side, squinting as if doing so would help him understand the meaning behind Kevin's words. "You always tell everyone that it's better to remain heterosexual!" Nicky's voice sounds small, like he's afraid of hearing Kevin's answer to his question.

"I don't believe in God, therefore I don't believe in sin," he says simply, shrugging while capping his water bottle back and placing it in the console. "But I can't deny the fact that the sports world is ruled by this implied heterosexuality thing. It's easier to be accepted by the public when you're in the norm. It's easier to get a contract if you're what the world tells you to be. There's a big difference between 'it's better to remain heterosexual' and 'it's wrong to be homosexual'. I'll never tell Andrew or Neil that what they have is wrong, but in the long run, people outside will judge our careers based also on our personal choices. And I know for a fact that, even if Exy is a relatively young sport, it is still ruled by the same old bigots as any other sport."

Nicky is once again silent, shifting on his seat as Kevin looks highly uncomfortable. Aaron takes the advantage of Nicky looking towards the window to reach out for his boyfriend, squeezing his knee in a brief show of support before returning both hands to the wheel. In the background, Lady Gaga changes seamlessly into Jonas Brothers, trying to infuse some happiness in the heavy atmosphere inside the car. They’re stopped at a red light when Nicky's subdued voice comes again.

"You're an atheist," he states, his hands clasping each other and wriggling around like he can't believe what Kevin has been saying for the past several minutes.

"We didn't have time to dwell on christianity while in The Nest; it changed focus from what really mattered back then." Kevin now is staring pointedly ahead. As much as Aaron has been trying, anything connected to his past is still a fresh wound to him. He sees Kevin clenching his fists, bunching up the polyester of his pants between his fingers. "I respect yours and Renee's view on faith, but it's not for me. Everytime I think of God it makes me wonder: if he's so merciful, so powerful and loving, why did he leave me without a mother? Why’s there so much evil in the world and why won't he interfere? If he's all seeing and all knowing, why did he put the apple tree in the Garden of Eden? Why give humans free will if he knew it was going to end like this? Why did he abandon me, Andrew, Neil and so many others to some unfortunate fate? Was it something we did? If God truly exists, then he's not the all-loving all knowing savior that’s been talked about."

They all fall silent after that, the upbeat song playing on in the background. Aaron doesn't have the heart to tell Nicky his time is done, or change the music back to Kevin's soothing French songs. He just wants to reach out for him, try to shield him from the pain he must be in.

Thankfully Nicky's phone rings, cutting through the silence like a blessed knife. He puts it on loudspeaker and the cacophony of the upperclassmen is a welcome relief to their previous tension. "So," Allison says, screaming something at Dan before going back to pay attention to them, "We're stopping at the next exit. They have a McDonald's there."

"No way!" Kevin shouts back, loud enough for the receiver to pick it and Allison answers him with a “pssshhht” that sounds more like a deflating balloon. 

"Yes way, Queen. We're all hungry - I mean listen to this:" Silence comes from the other end and then a loud grumble, probably someone's stomach complaining after their game. "That's Matt by the way, and those? Those are the grumbles that a sad tummy makes when it needs to be filled with chicken nuggets. So yes, we're stopping at McDonald's."

"Tell him to eat a protein bar." Kevin grumbles back and Aaron is swerving to avoid being hit by Matt's blue truck. Dan is the one sticking her head out from the passenger seat, moving her hand as a request for Aaron to roll down the window. He does that, lifting a questioning eyebrow to _why_ is she doing that. 

"MCDONALD'S!" She shouts, and it echoes on the phone in Nicky's hands. "YOU CAN HAVE A BLACK COFFEE, ANDREW AGREED ALREADY!" And just like that, she rolls her windows up, burning rubber on the asphalt and taking the exit. The Maserati follows them, leaving the Range Rover behind. Allison, Matt and Dan are still chanting over the phone “McDonald's! McDonald's!'' when Nicky finishes the call. The interruption of their sadness cloud kicked Kevin into his regular mood: complaining about his team, which is honestly a relief for Aaron, but not much of a balm to a quiet Nicky. They stop at the McDonald's parking lot, seeing the upperclassmen leave Matt's truck still chanting and Neil coming out of the Maserati with a limp, hanging on to Andrew with stars in his sleepy eyes. 

Aaron kills the engine, then turns around to face his cousin. "Two Quarter Pounders with cheese, McNuggets with ranch sauce, a coke and orange juice. We'll be right there." Nicky nods, leaving them in the darkness of the car. With tinted windows, Aaron feels secure enough to unbuckle his own seat belt and lean across the car, one of his hands already shooting for Kevin's hair and curling around the black strands. They meet up in the middle, forehead laying against forehead as Kevin tries to regulate his breathing. It takes him a minute until he leans to rest their lips against each other. Aaron can feel in the way Kevin's breathing falters that not even the excitement of the others was enough to cover up the pulsing wound that Nicky inadvertently reopened. "Hey," Aaron says softly, going cross eyed from staring at Kevin this close.

"Hey," Kevin answers back, closing his eyes and pulling Aaron's lower lip between his teeth. Aaron closes his eyes and reaches out with his free hand, intertwining their fingers as Kevin parts their lips, and he allows himself to be kissed softly under the secrecy of tinted windows. He pulls apart too soon, squeezing Aaron’s hand in his. "Let's go,” he whispers. “No reason to make Nicky think this is more than a bromance."

Aaron huffs then kisses Kevin's forehead before leaping out of the car. He knows that for now he can't reach Kevin, he can't make it hurt less. But the way his breathing came back to normal tells Aaron he's going to be okay. "Fine, let's go." He rounds the car and stares at him, reaching out to touch his braced hand one last time.

"What about you?" Kevin asks out of the blue and Aaron knows what he wants him to answer, but stares at the halo of light a lamppost created on Kevin's hair, making him look like a painting in the middle of the damn McDonald's parking lot. He shrugs, staring at the clear windows of the restaurant where he can see the Upperclassmen talking loudly to Neil, who has his twin's arm wound around his waist while the redhead rests his head on his shoulder.

"I know the Bible. I was raised in the church and I know all about christianity." He bites his lip, taking a minute to remember the hymns on a hot Sunday morning. "I always believed in it. I trusted God would come up in times of need and heed my prayers. I did what I was told: I prayed every night, I went to church, I feared God's wrath when I sinned. I confessed. I've prayed hard enough for things to get better." Aaron looks up to the obscured constellations in the sky and the swirling clouds before zeroing back on his brother's impassive face. "But I lost my faith the day I saw my brother being raped at the preacher's house with his blessing." 

Kevin doesn't recoil from the statement, he just follows Aaron's stare until he too sees Andrew and Neil, wrapped up in their own world. "One of the things I used to pray for was that Andrew would have this kind of happiness. In so many ways I still hate that Josten was the catalyst for a lot of shit that happened to him. Part of me still wants to kill him every time I see him laying his hands on Andrew. Truth is I'm frustrated," he leans against Kevin, not tall enough to lay his head on his shoulder, but enough to rest it on his bicep, "That Josten could see things that I couldn't. That I let myself be so blinded that I couldn't see the cracks in my own twin. That I was unable to help him. That maybe Andrew, seeing the good God fearing boy I was knew that I would reject him for who he is and what he's done."

"Andrew doesn't want any help or acceptance," Kevin states, sneaking an arm around Aaron's shoulders and pulling him closer.

"True. But that doesn't remove my faults. I was an asshole to my brother, I couldn't see he was hurting. I was too late to see the cracks on his facade." They both stare at Neil throwing his head back in a silent laughter while Andrew stares at him as if he, personally, hung the stars and the moon. "I hope it's not too late to try again."

Kevin is silent, rubbing circles on his shoulder as they keep on glancing at the picture of happiness at McDonald's. "I've blamed my mother for a long time," he finally says, making Aaron turn his head and stare at his profile. "She could have saved me so much pain if she just gave me to my father. Her decision almost cost me my career, my sanity… I look at Coach and think of all the things that my life could have turned into. His life too." Kevin shakes his head, then bends down to kiss Aaron's blond locks. "But Betsy has been helping us; she tells us it's never too late. We won't ever be able to go back in time and maybe my father and I won't ever have a normal relationship. But if we work, we'll have something of our own." 

Aaron nods, feeling something come up and tangle in his throat. He stares harder at Andrew and Neil, trying to make sense of the things crawling up to his mouth and begging to come out. 

"Come here." He doesn't have time to complain, only to stuff his face against Kevin's chest. He feels the impact of Kevin's body against the car as he leans between his legs, his hands crawling and clutching the fabric of the striker's shirt.

Aaron is not sure when he started crying, but the sobs are raking through his body as Kevin hugs him harder and he clings to him like a lifeline. It's ridiculous to be crying in a fast food parking lot while his friends are laughing a few feet from them, but there he is, coming apart and soiling his boyfriend's shirt. He feels Kevin curling protectively around him, resting his chin on top of his head and shielding him from the world. A world that doesn't feel so bad when he has Kevin holding him up.

"I'm sorry," he says in between sobs, rubbing his face against the soft fabric of Kevin's shirt. "I'm getting snot all over your shirt."

"Uh, I don't feel _too_ disgusted by that." Aaron snorts, pushing himself away from Kevin to wipe his nose with the back of his hand. "But I feel disgusted by _that_ , go wash your hands and your face and I'll change my shirt." He nods, storing away the wish to kiss Kevin senselessly when he smiles so carefree like that. Aaron ignores the table when he walks into the restaurant, following a straight line to the bathroom where he can blow his nose and wash his face under the running faucet. He knows he didn't fool anyone with his runny nose and clumped eyelashes, but he didn't expect to raise his head from the water stream to find his twin staring back at him from the mirror like a pale goth version of himself.

"Did he hurt you?" Aaron is not ready for that question, neither is he ready when Andrew steps up to him and touches his face, turning it sideways as if looking for a bruise.

"No. It was just… bad memories." Andrew tilts his own head sideways as an answer and Aaron nods. He feels his brother is about to leave the bathroom, but before he makes it out of the door, Aaron reaches out, holding on to his shirt. His twin turns around and he takes a rare moment to catalogue all the differences between them: the lack of laughter lines around Andrew's mouth, the fewer freckles across his face from a life shuttered inside while Aaron was free to enjoy the sun, and the deep lines of his frown. "Andrew can I-?" It takes his brother a long time to comprehend what he's being asked, then he nods, reaching out one hand to grasp the back of Aaron's neck and pull him towards his body.

Aaron sniffles, resting his forehead on his brother's shoulder and inhaling the mix of fabric softener, cologne, cigarettes and something so uniquely Andrew that he can't put a finger on. His twin relaxes a bit instead of standing awkwardly stiff in the middle of the bathroom, his shoulders sagging against Aaron's forehead as he twists his hands on the bottom of Andrew's black shirt. "Idiot. Don't get snot all over me."

"Asshole," Aaron mumbles back, tightening his grip on Andrew's shirt, afraid of him vanishing into the ether. Andrew tugs his hair, signaling their fraternal affection time is over. "Stop hanging around Kevin, you two are a wreck."

"Yeah, what's new?"

"Allison," he says, gesturing with his head towards the door. "She's been watching the two of you." He knows both he and Kevin peaked at the parking lot and now he has to brace himself for the interrogation. He's not surprised it was Allison who picked them up. Andrew leaves the bathroom with a resounding thud of the door and Aaron readies himself, wiping away the residual water on his face and taking a deep breath. He's faced worse, he's been on trial for actually taking a life. It's not Allison that will bring him down.

He takes a deep breath, centering himself and shoving his hands on his pockets. Aaron shoulders the door on his way out, making a beeline to the Foxes' loud table where Kevin is already demolishing their nuggets between bites of his burger. Allison, as predicted, tracks his movements with a calculated stare. The rest of the group is torn between politely trying not to stare at his pitiful face and trying to decipher the way he thanks Kevin for saving him a seat. His teammates aren't even discreet enough to keep on with the hubbub, or avoid looking at him and Kevin munching their lunch in their usual quietness. And, because he is an instigator at heart, he elbows Kevin, snorting at the high pitched scream he lets out when his nugget drops into the sauce.

"So Aaron," Allison says from the end of their table, her fingers swirling a french fry on a mountain of ketchup. She has a dangerous smile on her pink coated lips and a look that reminds him a bit too much of his mother when she decided to meddle with his life. He turns from bullying Kevin to look at Allison while he eats his burger. Part of him wants to jump across the table and punch her, another part of him, the one he cultivated by watching his brother being a complete asshole for years tells him to wait, plan and pounce. He's listening to his asshole self. "Are you having fun picking up your brother's trash?" Half of the table stare at her, indignant noises making themselves known. Josten is the worst of them, right behind Dan, who scolds Allison loudly, but her complaints sound more like she wished Allison would have focused better on how to deliver the question the upperclassmen have been asking themselves for the past couple of weeks.

Aaron continues chewing his burger, letting them stew in his pause. By his side, Kevin's spine is perfectly straight and, by the way his face is carefully crafted into a marble-like stance, he's pulling the strength from his stage persona to not have a fit in the middle of McDonald's. Aaron finishes his mouthful, taking a long sip from his drink and smacking his lips.

"I don't understand you," he says, leaving his burger on the tray and placing an elbow on the table, his face resting on an open palm. "When it's Matt and Neil doing stuff together you two seem to look like you saw two kitties… If it's me and Kevin we surely must be having sex." Aaron sighs, picking one nugget and dipping it into Andrew's sauce. His brother is uninterested, shredding his own nuggets into tiny bits and leaving both Aaron and Kevin to resolve that matter. In front of him, Neil relaxes, his relief that Aaron is taking the high road and not antagonizing Allison is clear in the way his shoulders slump. "How would you like me telling everyone you and Renee are scissoring when actually you two are just friends?" 

Allison sputters, an ugly, indignant sound coming out of her mouth and culminating in her fry being dropped. He knows from the way she looks at Renee that there's something more lurking under the surface, after all he caught himself far too many times staring at Kevin with the same adoration that crinkles the edges of her eyes into something uncharacteristically soft. "You can rest, we are not fucking. We're just two guys who recently lost their girlfriends and found many things in common such as hating that my twin likes to sneak around with his pupil to…" He makes a rude gesture with his hands that makes Andrew pick up one of his knives and Matt guffaw in laughter. “ _shag_.”

Allison doesn't look like she completely believes him, but the accusation is enough to shut her up. Likely she will bring it up again, but for now he can sit down and appreciate his cold burger in peace. The conversation around them takes only a few seconds to go back to more menial topics such as some movie Nicky wants the whole team to watch while they are in the house, what kind of things they'll do at the beach, the best cocktail to have in the heated pool from their rented house… As long as it's not orbiting around his relationship with Kevin, he's fine with that. On his side, Kevin relaxes visibly and goes back to complaining to Neil about how many calories are encased in his burger, even though he doesn't stop eating it and doesn't realize Andrew is flicking tiny sesame seeds onto his black shirt. 

They don't lose too much time after their meal is finished, and Aaron expects Nicky to change cars, or at least ask someone if they wanted to trade places. But as his cousin follows them into the car and makes himself comfortable in the backseat, he unplugs the bluetooth from the speakers with a subdued smile that tells them he's still feeling sorry for bringing up such a delicate topic. "So I guess it's time for some dramatic french chansons for another hour."

"No. I'm revoking your rights because your musical taste sucks. And I'm revoking Kevin's rights because if we listen to his playlist while I'm driving full of McDonald's we're crashing." Nicky is booing him and Kevin huffs by his side, crossing his arms and looking away to observe the dark highway in front of them. He fiddles with the radio until he's satisfied with the old songs playing. In the background Nicky groans, throwing his hands up dramatically.

"Really Aaron? Did you really tune in to NPR? Could you be _any more boring_? Could you?"

"Nope." He pops the 'p', his fingers drumming along to the Bee Gees' flooding their car. "And if you complain I'll make good the promise to stop the car and leave you with Josten and Andrew." Nicky moans and curls himself into a tight ball, proclaiming he's going to sleep because Allison promised them drinks later and it’s going to be a late night. Aaron shrugs and Kevin finally seems a bit more content with the silence that hangs amidst the old songs playing, he too curls up, head propped against the window and eyes focused ahead.

Nicky doesn't take long to start snoring, breaking up the songs with his grumbling. Kevin laughs by Aaron’s side and reaches up a braced hand to touch his thigh. "Are you staying up for drinks?" Kevin whispers, his fingers curling around the soft material of Aaron's track pants.

"I don't think so, I'm tired. I looked at the weather and it will probably rain most of the day so we'll have to start earlier." The striker nods, running his hand up and down on Aaron's thigh. After five minutes, Aaron intercepts the fingers dancing on his thigh, only to bring them to his mouth and kiss every knuckle. "Are you going to stay with the others?”

"It's probably for the best." Kevin untangles their hands and reaches out to grab Aaron's microbiology book. He doesn't like the tone of his voice, as if he's accepting the defeat of their secrecy. They're both used to discretion, since Thea and Katelyn required the same effort, but he supposes the novelty of keeping a secret wears off after some time. Sneaking around with Katelyn was easy-- the whole team knew, the Vixens knew, hell even Andrew knew, even if he wasn't keen on admitting the truth. Sneaking around with Kevin is a whole new monster: along with hiding it from everyone else there's also the media pressure. He doesn't feel particularly threatened by it, his entire Exy career starts and stops at Palmetto, but for Kevin, there's the weight of public opinion and the repercussions of it in his deal with the Moriyamas.

Aaron sighs, seeing the signs for Isle of Palms come up ahead and a disaster weekend waiting for them. To be honest, he wished for something simpler, not the behemoth of a house by the beach; Allison really overdid it this time. The house is a monstrosity facing the ocean, two stories high and looking like Paris Hilton's retreating place.

He looks at Kevin while Nicky stirs in the backseat. 

This is going to be a shitty weekend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He thinks of his mother's smile, the ones she would give him when she was clean and happy. The charming curl of her blond hair over her shoulders. The way she would look at him when his grades were good. Those are tiny precious moments, splinters of a childhood he tries to keep between his fingers to mask the ugliness of her heavy hands, the high and low of meds and the smell of the crack pipe in the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In light of the recent Kevaaron drought I'm yeeting this into the universe. As usual, I'd like to thank to my wonderful amazing beta [Jenn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowObsidian/) for her incredible patience and care, go give her some love! all the remaining mistakes are mine.

Aaron wouldn't consider himself a lucky guy in many aspects.

It all started with being dealt a shitty hand of cards for his childhood and culminates with being trapped in a room with not just one, but two snoring Foxes. One would think that a behemoth of a beach house for the rich would have more than four bedrooms, or that Allison would try and poke the sleeping beast of his secret relationship with Kevin and give them one room with a single bed. But apparently, she is happy to be tucked away in the double bed with Renee while Aaron has to suffer with Nicky and Kevin battling to see who can snore loudly.

He should be used to it, he's had years in the same dorm with the two of them, years to know that both of them sleep heavily after a game and a night of drunken shenanigans. But the truth of it is that his sleeplessness has nothing to do with the snoring and everything to do with where he is. Aaron gets up from his bed, moving himself is a better idea than stewing in a bed while thinking about all the reasons why this getaway is a bad idea-- nevermind it's four in the morning and the whole house is still submerged in a peaceful slumber. He tucks a struggling Kevin under the covers and rights Nicky's head so he won't snore that loud before leaving the room. The house is in total silence, broken by the sound of waves and seagulls mingling outside.

On the first floor he finds he's not the only one being haunted. Neil and Andrew are tucked into each other, staring at the muted TV without seeing anything. Andrew's head whips on his way and he visibly relaxes when the figure of his brother comes up. Neil is in a worst shape, with black bags under his eyes and a thousand year stare he knows only comes up when he's deeply into the tendrils of his past. "Coffee or tea?" he asks both.

"Tea."

It's not unusual for Andrew to indulge on tea after a particularly bad night. An old ingrained habit that Aaron remembers his twin had ever since they moved in together. He nods to his brother, moving into the kitchen to prepare two mugs of lemongrass tea and one of coffee for himself. The window in front of him shows the backyard of the house where a warm pool and a barbecue grill sit waiting to be used. It doesn't take long for the tea and the coffee to brew and he brings them back to the living room, shoving Josten's mug in front of him. "How's the leg?"

"It's fi--" Andrew tenses beside Neil, his arms going rigid around the strike's shoulders. They all had it with Neil's denial, especially Andrew so he's not surprised in the least with such visceral reaction. "It still hurts a bit, but I guess it comes with it right?"

Aaron hums, taking a sip from his coffee. "Yes, it's not something you can heal overnight." He puts his mug aside, sitting on the coffee table in front of his twin and Josten. "Can I touch it or you'd rather leave it alone and have Abby deal with it on Monday?" Neil stretches his leg with a wince, laying his socked feet on Aaron's lap as an answer. "Okay. This might hurt a bit, if it feels too much tell me okay?"

"Okay." Aaron approaches Neil with slow telegraphed moves, and, since his brother looks ready to murder whoever touches his beau, he clears his throat, stopping short of of actually touching Neil. "What I'm going to do is to try to separate the fascia from the muscle to help your healing. Do you know what the fascia is?" Neil replies with a negative shake of his head while Andrew looks over, ready to pounce on Aaron in case he truly hurts his boyfriend. Aaron, as delicately as he can, pushes his fingers on the back of Neil's leg, moving them away from each other and leaving a red path behind. Neil hisses in discomfort before falling lax on the sofa. "Feel that? The fascia is the conjunctiva tissue around your muscles, sometimes they're almost glued to it, so to say, making it hard to move. Here Andrew, give me your hand."

Andrew doesn't hesitate, placing his hands over where Aaron's was. "I'm gonna teach you how to do it okay? First you press here where the muscle is inserted," He places his palms on top of his twin's hands, guiding the movement with the precise force to make Neil hiss again and then relax. "and follow the fiber...Good, you can feel it relaxing. It might be a little sore later but in the long run will feel good. Again Andrew." He and his brother move in sync and Neil now is visibly relaxed on his chair--his hisses subdued into small groans of discomfort while they work on his calves. "I think we're good for now. The other leg please?" The redhead switches the leg on Aaron's lap and without his brother he can work faster on the source of pain. "Let me ask you Neil, do you touch yourself?"

The two other occupants in the room get instantly tense, looking at Aaron as if he grew another head that is in dire need to be cut. The only reason he realizes his mistake is that Neil's leg trembled before he started laughing. "That came out really wrong, that was not what I meant!"

"Sure Aaron, sure." Neil is wiping silent tears from his eyes while Andrew visibly deflates like a balloon and even allows himself to smile at the scene of Neil coming out of his sadness shell.

"What I mean is what I've been trying to teach Kevin..."

"Oh no, it gets worse." Andrew digs his thumb into Neil's inflamed muscle making him jump on the sofa. Aaron thanks him with a nod and goes back to soothing the damage on Neil's leg.

"Okay, right to the point: you need to be more aware of your body." He says while touching a particularly hard knot of muscle. "You're good at using it intuitively, but you have to _learn_ it. Your body is and, because you sold yourself, will be your tool of work. You need to know yourself. Know your muscles, your bones, understand the way you walk, the way you drop your shoulders when you're out of the court. That understanding comes with touching yourself." Aaron picks up Neil's hand, running his fingers over the sore spot where his soleus rests. "This is because you've been ignoring yourself. You became so good at _I'm fine_ that you have never stopped to assess the damage. This,” he moves their joined hands to Neil’s arms, helping him map old aches, “is not something that happens overnight." Andrew is curious by their side and if the twitch of his fingers are any indication, he's itching to help. "Chronic pain is clearly an issue because you feel it, but you decide it's not a priority because you've felt it your whole life."

Neil is speechless when Aaron removes his hand from his body-- there's a wide eyed look as he stares at him drinking his lukewarm coffee. "Uh… thank you?"

Aaron shrugs, pointing back and forth between the striker and his twin. "You two help each other. Map where it hurts with a sharpie. Stretch together. Learn how to take care of it with a professional, maybe try joining Kevin on Wednesday when he goes to his chiropractor. But do not neglect the underlying pains." Neil and Andrew are nodding, staring at Aaron as if they don’t recognise the person sitting in front of them, sipping on coffee.

"Why are you doing this?" Andrew asks, one skeptical eyebrow rising in his face as he moves to wrap his arm around Neil's shoulder. His brother and him have had long talks about Neil and still, he can't find it in him to truly trust the man his brother has chosen for himself.

Aaron shrugs again, drinking the last drops of his coffee. "We’ve talked a lot these past few sessions, Andrew." Aaron leans back a bit, thinking of their therapy sessions and the way he feels about Josten- he still stands by his opinion that there's something predatory there, that being the beacon for trouble he is will get Andrew in other messes. "And yes, I still don't like him. Don't mistake my medical curiosity for acceptance. However," his brother tenses by Josten's side - they’re both tense - Neil’s fingers have tightened around on Andrew's leg. "I'm doing my part to not let my opinions control me. He is important to you and to Kevin, and I'll try to not let my feelings interfere in both, our relationship and your relationship with him." Aaron sighs, drumming his fingers on the coffee table before getting up and abandoning his empty mug for them to deal with; he feels a headache coming on and he’ll need some solitude to take care of it. "At the end of the day and despite all that happened with and to us, you're still my brother. I will still feel like I need to protect you, I will still feel angry for and towards you."

Andrew nods at him, relinquishing the iron grip he has on Neil's shoulder. "Should I ice his leg?" Nice diversion there.

"Yes, and rest. Get some sleep, both of you." He grabs his windbreaker off the rack, ignoring the looks being thrown to his back. Right now there's too much bubbling inside him to consider staying longer. He steps into the soft sand, crossing his arms around his torso and walking onto the silent beach.

It's definitely going to be a terrible day. The sun has not risen yet, leaving the horizon to heavy storm clouds and the ocean an ugly shade of brown, angry waves crashing at the shore. Aaron walks closer to the water, feeling the waves lapping against his toes in a different way than they used when he was a kid.

Honestly, the sea here smells like home, but still doesn't truly feel like California. There are no big rocky walls, no throngs of surfers passing by him to launch themselves at the sea-- Isle of Palms feels like a cheap imitation of his childhood, but still good enough to poke the memories he has tried so hard to bury. Aaron toes a seashell and picks it up, the pearly glow of it under the streetlights making him want to just let go and dive into the water. He clenches it in his fist, cracking the frail surface and throwing it back to the raging ocean.

He walks on, until there are no more houses, just growing coastal vegetation and the sound of the waves crashing before he drops to the cold sand and allows himself to close his eyes and transport himself somewhere else: to the creaking stairs of a tiny house in San Jose. To all the times he had to skip the fourth step because the wood was giving in and it groaned so loud it would wake up his-- no. He doesn't want to think of his mother as the monster the drugs turned her into. Aaron curls his arms around his legs, propping his chin on his knees and watching a ship float on the horizon, guided by the pull of the waves.

He thinks of his mother's smile, the ones she would give him when she was clean and happy. The charming curl of her blond hair over her shoulders. The way she would look at him when his grades were good. Those are tiny precious moments, splinters of a childhood he tries to keep between his fingers to mask the ugliness of her heavy hands, the high and low of meds and the smell of the crack pipe in the living room.

As hard as he tries to disguise his mother as a saint, her harsh words uttered over the telephone still ring in his ears: _No I don't want to see him, I don't care how he is. No. Just no. Don't contact me ever again._ He had been just a child, excited to know he had a twin. Maybe they would play together, maybe he would understand the bruises on his arms and maybe he would protect him. 

"Be careful what you wish for," Aaron mutters under his breath, looking at the first rays of sun trying to break through the heavy grey clouds in the sky. He has a brother to play with now, a brother who understands the bruises on his arms and a brother who protects him at the cost of his own life. He should have asked for something else, maybe even given up when Andrew told him to go away. But now it's too late, no take backs. They'll either learn how to work or go their own way. 

He sighs, staring back at the fast retreating ship on the horizon, the tiny red light floating among the waves. Aaron keeps on staring until he feels his eyes dry up from not blinking and when he feels like he's had enough of bad memories popping up, he buries his head between his knees and closes his eyes for one moment that feels like an eternity. 

And the eternity ends when Kevin knocks on his head with their usual twin whey protein shaker bottles. "Thanks for leaving me with Nicky, he started telling all about Erik's body in his sleep."

"He usually does that in German."

Kevin nods, sinking down to the sand behind Aaron, effectively caging him with his arms and legs. "I've been around you guys long enough to pick up bits of it. Traumatizing to say the least." Aaron leans back, tucking himself into Kevin's warmth while his striker bends down to capture his lips in a kiss. "Good morning,” Kevin murmurs against his lips, “what are you doing down here?"

Aaron shrugs, taking a sip from the cardboard tasting Whey and trying not to grimace. Damn Kevin for exploiting Aaron’s infatuation to bring him into the healthy circle. "Memories mostly," he says. Kevin responds with a trail of kisses from Aaron’s neck to his ear before resting his chin on Aaron's head.

"Want to talk?" Kevin says after Aaron stops humming between the kisses.

"It reminds me of Cali. We never lived by the beach," he takes another gulp from his shake, going back to staring at the crashing waves ahead of them, "but my mom used to date this guy… Jacob I think? It was nice when he and my mom weren't drunk. I guess he was the nicest guy she ever dated… Anyways," he unfurls one of his arms from around his own legs to rest a hand on top of Kevin's knee, drawing concentric circles over it. "He used to wake me up very early on Saturday mornings and we would go to Davenport and stay there the whole day. He actually taught me how to surf and swim." Aaron smiles, diving back into a few of his fondest childhood memories. Behind him, Kevin shuffles, drinking what seems like the whole container of Whey and then sinking his cup into the fluffy sand.

"I saw a board in the house, if you want to surf?" he says, curling his free hands around Aaron's middle to try and pull him as close as he can.

Aaron shrugs, finishing his (awful) drink and placing the cup right next to the other. "No, the sea is not good and, in case you haven't noticed, there's a storm coming. You don't want to be in the sea when that happens." Aaron leans his own head back, enough to kiss the underside of Kevin's stubbled chin.

"Maybe some other day?"

"Maybe." Aaron says simply, closing his eyes once more and relaxing against Kevin's body. Reminiscing and replacing memories, now he has someone he trusts won't hurt him holding him so close. "I haven't been to the beach since we moved to Columbia. First mom didn't care enough, then Andrew… Well, I don't think sandy beaches bring him fond memories. And because he always had the car, he’s always had final say in where we went. So this is the first time in years I've been able to enjoy it." 

Kevin sticks his cold hands inside Aaron's shirt and windbreaker, making him squeal and try to get away - to no avail with how hard he's being pulled back.

"We should take Jeremy's invite and go to California in summer, you can surf while I can stay and practice with him."

He turns half of his body around with an undignified grunt and a raised eyebrow. "Really Kevin? You want to ditch me for Jeremy?"

"I see no harm in that."

"Jeremy? Are you really that fucking blind, Kevin?" Kevin looks down at him, brows creased with confusion as if asking him a single _why_ with his expression. "Jesus Christ, you really are that fucking blind."

Kevin's brows furrow further and his head falls to the side, the universal sign of _I don't know where you're headed to_ and it shouldn't be that adorable. "Enlighten me, I really don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm gonna use Nicky's vocabulary to describe it for you, because I don't know how to make it clearer: Jeremy is _thirsty_. He has the thirst that only a tall cup of Kevin Day can fix. He's asked me several times if you're still single. Which lately I've replied with _it’s complicated Jeremy_. To which he replied," Aaron coughs into his hand, clearing his throat before trying to smile the same 1000 watts smile of one certain striker, as he tries his best to pull his long forgotten Californian accent back."I hope Kevin is ya know, like, okay with a threesome then." Kevin is stunned into silence at first, but then his laughter erupts so loud Aaron feels him burying his face on his shoulder to stifle the stupid giggles. "Stop laughing! I'm serious!"

A lone jogger passes them by, looking at them sideways before ignoring them completely and following his way. The seagulls are screaming, diving into the waves and Kevin is still shaking with laughter. "I guess it wouldn't be so bad." He says finally, clearing the unshed tears from his eyes.

"Kevin!" The man in question starts laughing again, pulling Aaron incredibly closer to him. "Oh my god!" The realization dawns on him like a tiny angel holding a trumpet, handing him a paper with this new knowledge scribed on it, and then leaving with its middle finger on display. "You have a type."

"A what?"

"A type, Kevin! You like short blondes with an attitude… Does that also include…" Kevin opens his mouth to reply, but it's promptly shut by one of Aaron's hands flying to meet his face and covering whatever the response may be. "Actually, I don't want to know." The striker keeps on laughing, but alternating it with tiny kisses on Aaron's palm. When Aaron is finally satisfied the laughter has died down and Kevin is in no way thinking about answering him, he lowers his hand, placing it back on Kevin's knee. 

Kevin bows down, rubbing his face against Aaron's and kissing him. The stubble is a nice addition, Aaron thinks, enjoying the way it leaves a trail of burns around his lips. "This is nice," Kevin says, putting their foreheads together and sharing the salty air between them. "Last time I went to the beach it was to fetch Jean." Aaron hums, turning around and leaning back on Kevin's chest. He's learned with time that, whenever Kevin is on his way down the memory lane eye contact should be avoided-- he's still trying to figure out if it's shame or fear that makes him so cagey, but he will gladly look away and let Kevin clutch his body near if it means he can pry bits of his history out of him. "Marseille. His house was big, not mansion-big, but old-big? It sat on a cliff right by the sea."

"That's why you picked the Trojans?" Aaron asks, focusing on a second ship on the horizon as the man behind him sighs.

"Partially yes, but most of it was because Jeremy and coach Rehman. If there's anyone who can help Jean see the game from another perspective without abusing him, then it's the Trojans." He nods, falling into their usual silence as the sun finally peaks through the clouds. It is still bound to be a horrible day, but for now it looks like they'll have a bit of a leeway. Kevin's activity tracker and his give a loud beep, scaring some of the birds around them into a messy flock that flicks sand into their faces. "We should go back and get ready for training."

They both get up, picking the empty shakers from the sand and moving towards the waves lapping over their feet. Aaron feels a lot lighter than he did in the morning and Bee's countless suggestions that talking can improve healing echo around his head. Sometimes he thinks he should listen to Bee more often, maybe even talk to her a bit more. But, for today, he's done with exposing himself to the world. They wipe the sticky sand on their feet free on the welcome mat outside the house and go in, only to be greeted by the rest of the team curled in various positions in the living room.

It doesn't come as a surprise that the first person to notice them is a bikini clad Allison, who's sprawled on the sofa with her head in Josten's lap. The shark-like smile she gives him is enough to make him feel naked. "Hmhm, best buddies." She says with a smile, lifting her head a bit. "Tell us what the best buddy activity was this time if not making out in the sand?"

Kevin and him sigh at the same time. Kevin does the smartest thing: dropping his shaker in the sink and ignoring her in favor of heading upstairs to change, leaving Aaron to deal with the interested stares of the others. "Talking about our past, bashing shitty people, watching the weather."

Allison lifts an eyebrow, ready to talk, but is interrupted when Matt does a ridiculous finger-gun gesture, accompanied by an even more ridiculous _pow pow_ sound. "Can we do it again later?" Allison asks, while aiming an invisible bazooka at the ceiling "Any excuse to badmouth my parents is a good thing." Renee nods at her, finishing the braid on Dan's hair and patting her thigh, her smile is warm, but Aaron notices how it doesn't reach her eyes.

"I think it's a good idea talking about our traumas,” Renee says, “Maybe we can find some common ground and finish this year in a better light." She gets up and makes a beeline for Neil, rubbing his scalp and making his shoulders slump as his eyes close. "Nobody will talk about anything they don't want to, Neil. But we’d like to show you some support, if you’ll let us," she says softly. 

Allison turns around on Neil's lap curling her arms around his middle and shoving her face into his stomach to blow a raspberry that makes him shriek. "We just want to be good friends Neilio. We don’t have to talk about your parents. We can badmouth Riko; you're good at that right?" Neil laughs again as Matt recites, word for word, Neil’s monologue about Riko's daddy issues, while Dan pretends to be a very angry exy goblin. Andrew comes in with Nicky in tow just as Matt is getting to the good part, and Aaron can see the (almost) smile trying to break free from Andrew’s lips as he drops bits of exy equipment on the lap of their respective owners. Allison protests as a helmet almost hits her face. Matt is now swinging his racquet in a mock swordfight with Dan.

"Okay Foxes!" Dan claps, all heads turning to pay attention to their captain. "Let's set up the court on the sand and stretch, if we have to wait until Kevin is done with his beauty routine we'll be here all day. Minyard One, go get changed." Aaron nods, leaving the group to their own devices and getting upstairs to get ready. Kevin has already commandeered the bathroom, halfway into his wetsuit and with so much sunscreen on his face one might think he's getting ready for clown school.

"Wash your face,” Aaron says,”I'll take care of you when I'm done."

"Can you do my back?" Kevin asks, and Aaron flings his shirt into Kevin's face, blocking his view while he's putting his own wetsuit with a dexterity he forgot he had.

"Kev… you bought UV proof wetsuits. It's not even sunny outside."

Kevin shrugs while washing his face. "Forgive me if I was sheltered in the Nest," he says, drying the last drops of water on his face and bending down so Aaron can apply a _regular_ layer of sunscreen over his face, taking special care to cover his tattoo. "...And if I bought these suits in the hope they will be good for Cali."

"They will be... Figure out the dates when Jeremy can have us." 

Kevin raises one eyebrow, as if challenging Aaron to change his mind, but Aaron only shrugs in response, moving his finger to Kevin’s chin and poking it to make Kevin turn around. "The jury is still out on his other proposal."

"Whoa." Allison's voice makes Kevin's spine go ramrod straight while Aaron ends up slapping more sunscreen than intended on Kevin's back. "All this homoerotic subtext and you have the guts to tell me you're not screwing around?"

Aaron finishes lathering Kevin's back in more sunscreen than necessary and zips up his wetsuit. "Go check if Neil is stretching properly, Kev. I'll talk with Allison." Kevin nods, leaving the bathroom as if the devil was on his heels. "Now we talk. Close the door." Allison does as she's told, locking it for good measure before crossing her arms-- years ago as a freshman Aaron would kill for a moment alone with a woman like her, especially one wearing so little clothes. But now he only feels another headache coming on. He knows Allison won't leave it alone until she hears the truth, or whatever she wants to hear. "What's in for you? A bet? A laugh?"

Allison looks startled, her fingernails drumming rapidly against the wood of the door behind her. "So you admit?"

"Keep it a secret and answer me," he demands, mirroring Allison's pose and leaning against the sink. There is no way he could shake her off, it's better to let the secret hang between them and lock it in a stranger's bathroom.

"When did _that_ happen?"

"Answer me."

Allison deflates, her arms flopping by her side as she looks up. Up until now, Aaron has only seen that expression in her face when Seth died and she almost gave up, and that makes his interest perk. Allison raises up one of her hands, scrubbing her face as she mumbles something too low for him to hear. "Amazing. Even the straightest guys I know are being converted." Aaron tilts his head to one side, examining the way she keeps rubbing her face. "There's no bet. I was just curious as to why you two were so chummy with each other." Allison motions with her hands for him to turn around. "Let me do your back."

They stare at each other for a full minute before Aaron relents and turns around, holding on to the edges of the sink. "Why do you sound so disappointed?"

"Because even the monsters are getting what they want and I still can't make Renee see me as more than a friend."

_Oh._

"Oh."

"I know, I've been pinning for a long time, my friend." There's a sad smile pulling the corners of Allison's mouth downwards. "And now she's with Jean and I'm still pinning."

"You'll live," is what Aaron says in response and Allison sighs, curling her arms around his middle and resting her chin on his head. "You're a young good looking woman, too bad your personality doesn't do you any favors." He feels her laughing, the long nails digging into his ticklish spot makes him buckle and hit the sink with his hip. "Fuck, anyways, she'll either come around or you'll find a new hot woman after you graduate. Don't sweat over it."

"Shit Minyard One, has Kevin's magic bissexual spunk made you more tolerable? Or did you just became a better person when you crossed to the non-heterosexual side of the rainbow?"

Aaron laughs, crossing his arms over hers in an attempt of a hug. He may not like Allison, but he can feel the sorrow in her voice. "That's therapy for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you know where i am, find me

**Author's Note:**

> i'm almost always available on [twitter](https://twitter.com/dogintheboiler)


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